Joe Gomez Steps Up To First-Team Training.

The 17-year-old centre back has been rated highly in the development squad and has featured for England at two different youth levels and also featured in England`s youth Euro squad this year.

Peeters is the reason why Gomez is now training with the likes of Johnnie Jackson and Chris Solly and Peeters told the News Shopper this "One of the main reasons I signed was because in Belgium I was giving a lot of youngsters a chance and they are all now regulars in the first division in Belgium one of the main reasons was that the academy of Charlton was high standard I also said to one player Joe Gomez, who is only 17, that he can do pre-season with us because I want to see with young players if they can do the job one of my philosophies is when I look for players I first look in our own academy and in our own squad and then if we don`t find someone who can do the job then OK we go on but the most important thing if you have a 16 or 17-year-old talented defender then you need to give him a chance and you need two or three of the other young players that can play in the first team of Charlton."